鈥淲e鈥檝e made mistakes in underestimating the strength of science in Iran and the ingenuity they show in working with whatever crude design they get their hands on.鈥�
Chemical engineer Mohammad Sahimi of the University of Southern California, who left Iran in 1978, on the country鈥檚 nuclear potential (The New York Times, 5 March)
鈥淚 have not smoked for three weeks and have been on a chicken diet for 10 days because I want to show that a chicken drumstick does less harm than a cigarette.鈥�
Advertisement
Italian health minister Francesco Storace attempts to allay fears about bird flu after the virus鈥檚 arrival in the country was confirmed (Agenzie Giornalistica Italiana, 4 March)
鈥淓ating sushi has become the new Russian roulette.鈥�
Eli Saddler of health advocacy group GotMercury.org, which showed that mercury levels in tuna from top California sushi restaurants was, on average, double the FDA limit (Los Angeles Times, 6 March)
鈥淥rganic material delivered by comets and meteorites is likely to have played a part in starting life on Earth.鈥�
Planetary scientist Monica Grady of the Open University, UK, on organic material from comet Wild 2 brought back to Earth by the Stardust space probe (The Sunday Times, London, 5 March)
鈥淚t does not prohibit the taking of contraceptive drugs before a pregnancy is determined, such as in the case of rape or incest.鈥�
South Dakota governor Mike Rounds on a law banning almost all abortions in the state (The New York Times, 6 March)